Critics and audiences are raving about “Belle” — the inspiring true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in 18th century England.
Belle leads an unusual life, unknown to others like her. She is at once a spirited young woman caught up in the marriage games and status-seeking of the era as well as an outsider whose identity forbids her from being treated as an equal in society. But when she falls for the fiery young legal apprentice, John Davinier (Sam Reid), in the midst of the landmark Zong ship trial — which rivets the world’s attention to slavery’s inhumanity — Belle faces choices unlike any woman of her time. As she weighs the desires of her heart against social rank, and society’s prejudices against her own self-worth, she inspires those around her to imagine a freer world to come.
“Belle transforms from a girl who says, ‘As you wish, sir,’ to a woman who says, ‘As I wish – this is what I need, this is what is important to me,’” says director Amma Asante. “She does so not because she is a privileged young woman who wants more, but because she is a woman saying, ‘I want equality in my household and in the world.’”